First BellEMERGENCY COVER
Now Fully Live for the 2026 / 2027 academic year

Cover sorted. Before the first bell rings.

The Irish-built app for emergency substitute teacher and SNA cover. Tell us who you need and First Bell starts looking - favourites first, then suitable available substitutes nearby. All from your phone.

€350
Any school · full year
2 taps
To request cover
100%
Irish built
9:41
First BellEMERGENCY COVER
Emergency cover

Welcome back.

Sign in to find cover or pick up a request.

New substitute? Register here
Garda Vetting evidence reviewed, with Teaching Council details collected for teachers.
9:41
First BellEMERGENCY COVER
MS
Tuesday, 21 April

Today's cover

St. Bridget's NS · 3 requests

Junior Infants
Accepted
Today · 08:40
Story time on the rug, then station teaching. Plan in the press.
3rd Class
Notified
Today · 08:50
Maths copies on the desk. Yard duty 11:00.
5th Class
Pending
Today · 09:00

Earlier this week

Senior Infants
Unfilled
Yesterday · 08:40
Hall is booked - yard rota in place.
2nd Class
Accepted
Mon · 08:40
Today
All cover
School
9:41
MS
Cover request

Cover accepted.

Submitted at 07:12. Accepted in 3 minutes.

Junior Infants
Accepted
Aoife Murphy will be in for 08:40, covering for Ms. Doyle.
AM
Aoife Murphy
Teaching Council 29841 · Primary · Vetting evidence on file

Timeline

Request submitted
07:12
6 substitutes notified
Within 20km · Primary
Aoife Murphy accepted
07:15 · TC 29841
9:41
First BellEMERGENCY COVER
MS
Tuesday, 21 April

Today's cover

St. Bridget's NS · 3 requests

Junior Infants
Accepted
Today · 08:40
Story time on the rug, then station teaching. Plan in the press.
3rd Class
Notified
Today · 08:50
Maths copies on the desk. Yard duty 11:00.
5th Class
Pending
Today · 09:00

Earlier this week

Senior Infants
Unfilled
Yesterday · 08:40
Hall is booked - yard rota in place.
2nd Class
Accepted
Mon · 08:40
Today
All cover
School
Tap once
Find cover now
Cover accepted
Aoife Murphy · 3 min
For schools

When the early-morning call comes, First Bell is already in your pocket.

When a teacher or SNA calls in sick, raise a cover request from your phone in under 30 seconds. Your favourites are notified first; if they cannot make it, First Bell starts looking for suitable available substitutes nearby.

  • Request cover in two taps - under 30 seconds
  • Your trusted favourites are contacted first
  • Garda Vetting evidence reviewed, with Teaching Council details collected for teachers
  • OLCS payroll reference generated automatically on every booking
  • Gaelscoil and SNA matching built in
  • Real-time status updates on your phone
  • Full audit trail for every booking - HIQA and board-ready
For substitutes

Cover opportunities sent to your phone. Always free.

See the school, the distance, the class level and the subjects upfront. One tap to accept. First suitable to accept secures the booking.

  • Notified of matching requests instantly - push notification, not email
  • See school, distance, class level and subject(s) upfront
  • Set your own availability, class level, and subject preferences
  • Build a favourites list with local schools who know you
  • Garda Vetting evidence reviewed, with Teaching Council details collected for teachers
  • Free to join and use - always. No exceptions.
Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play
9:41
6:38
Tuesday, 21 April
First Bellnow
New cover request · Junior Infants
St. Bridget's NS, Portmarnock. Today 08:40 – 13:40. Tap to accept.
9:41
AM
Cover request

Junior Infants

Today · 08:40 – 13:40

St. Bridget's NS, Portmarnock
Portmarnock, Co. Dublin · 4.2 km
Single-day cover · 08:40 – 13:40
Ms. Doyle (class teacher)
Notes
Sub plan in the press. SNA Marie supports Liam. Story time 9:00, station teaching after small break. First Aid kit in the press by the door.
6 substitutes were notified. First to accept wins.
How it works

From absence reported to cover secured.

01
A teacher calls in sick

School admin opens First Bell and taps "Find cover now." Selects the date, level, and/or subjects.

30 seconds
02
We contact verified substitute teachers

The school's preferred substitutes are notified first. If they can't make it, we expand to qualified substitute teachers nearby-automatically.

Under 2 minutes
03
First to accept secures the job

Substitutes can view the school, distance and subject(s). One tap to accept. Only one booking is confirmed - no double bookings.

1–3 minutes
04
Cover confirmed

The school instantly receives the sub's name, Teaching Council number, Garda vetting and contact details. The sub receives the address and directions.

Done before first bell

See First Bell in action - from absence reported to cover confirmed.

Real-time status

You see exactly where the request stands.

No "I emailed three people, hoping for the best." Watch a live progress timeline from request received to cover secured. If something goes wrong, you know in seconds, not minutes.

Live progress timeline
Submitted · Notified · Accepted.
Push notifications
Accept events come straight to your lock screen.
Accelerated accept
First-to-accept wins - never double booked.
Full audit trail
Every request, every notification, every accept logged.
9:41
MS
Emergency cover

Find cover now.

We'll notify suitable substitutes within moments.

Ms. Doyle (class teacher)
Junior Infants
Today
08:40
Story time on the rug 9:00. Sub plan in the press. SNA Marie supports Liam.
Garda Vetting evidence reviewed, with Teaching Council details collected for teachers.
9:41
MS
Cover request

Cover accepted.

Submitted at 07:12. Accepted in 3 minutes.

Junior Infants
Accepted
Aoife Murphy will be in for 08:40, covering for Ms. Doyle.
AM
Aoife Murphy
Teaching Council 29841 · Primary · Vetting evidence on file

Timeline

Request submitted
07:12
6 substitutes notified
Within 20km · Primary
Aoife Murphy accepted
07:15 · TC 29841

Built here. For here.

First Bell is an Irish-built platform designed around the real needs of Irish schools. Focused on one job: making emergency substitute cover simpler, faster and less stressful.

Built by an Irish teacher.

Our co-founder Danielle O'Farrell is a qualified primary teacher who taught in Ireland and Australia. She experienced this problem in both countries and came home to build the solution.

Built for Irish schools.

OLCS payroll references. Teaching Council verification. Statutory Declaration handling. Gaelscoil matching. These are not afterthoughts - they are why an Irish teacher built this.

Built on Irish infrastructure.

All data hosted in Ireland. Irish law. GDPR compliant. Data Processing Agreement available to every school on request.

The problem in numbers

Every morning. Every school in Ireland.

1M+
Substitute days covered in Irish schools every year
60%
Of primary schools cannot reliably source substitute cover
39
Phone calls made by one school for a single absence
5 min
Average First Bell fill time - from request to confirmed cover

Sources: INTO / IPPN / CPSMA research · Echo Live · Irish Examiner · DES data

Getting started

Simple from the very first step.

Choose the journey that fits you. First Bell will guide you from sign-up to your first successful connection.

For schools

Start finding cover

  1. 1Open the First Bell school dashboard or download the app
  2. 2Create your school profile and invite your team and existing substitute teachers
  3. 3Create your first cover request in two taps
For teachers & SNAs

Start finding work

  1. 1Download the free First Bell app
  2. 2Create and verify your profile
  3. 3Set your availability and receive suitable opportunities
Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play
Simple, value-first pricing

One school. One price.

€350
per school, per academic year · including VAT · regardless of school size
✓ No pricing tiers✓ No enrolment bands✓ No booking fees

Start with no upfront payment.Your 30-day trial only begins when First Bell successfully fills your first cover request.Register your school and start using First Bell with no upfront payment.When First Bell successfully fills your first cover request, your 30-day trial begins. Your first invoice is issued at the end of that 30-day trial.If First Bell does not successfully fill a cover request, your trial does not begin and no invoice is issued.After your trial, First Bell costs €350 including VAT per academic year.

That includes unlimited cover requests, substitute teacher and SNA connections, school users, current features, updates and support. No setup fees. No booking fees. No hidden tiers. Teachers and SNAs always use First Bell free. Full pricing terms are in our Terms of Service (section 7).

✓ Irish data & Irish law
✓ GDPR compliant
✓ Credentials reviewed
✓ Vetting information supported
News & podcasts

From First Bell.

A home for our podcast conversations, company news and practical ideas for the education community.

The First Bell Podcast

Listen to our first episodes.

As featured in The Sunday Times - Small Business, July 2026The First Bell founding family featured in The Sunday Times
First Bell News

Featured in The Sunday Times

First Bell appeared in the Small Business section on 12 July 2026, exploring how practical AI is helping Irish businesses solve real problems.

Read the Sunday Times article
Launch Day

Today We Begin

24 August 2026

First Bell is fully live. Today we begin helping schools find the people they need, helping substitute teachers and SNAs find the schools that need them, and helping keep children learning.

Contact us

How can we help?

Ask about registering your school, using First Bell as a teacher or SNA, pricing, partnerships or anything else.

This opens your email app. Your details are not stored by this website.

Or email hello@firstbell.ie
Why First Bell

Irish built, Irish owned, built by an Irish teacher who lived the problem.

A family at the core. A professional team behind them.

Meet the Team

First Bell was born from real classroom experience. Danielle, a qualified primary school teacher, saw how schools struggled to find last-minute cover in Ireland and during two years teaching in Australia. Noel, with over 20 years working in education, and Ciara with over 30 years working in local authorities, turned that insight into a platform built specifically for Irish schools.

First Bell EdTech Limited is an incorporated Irish company, built for the way schools actually work. We understand the morning scramble.

First Bell supports the collection of vetting evidence and Teaching Council details for teachers, while schools retain responsibility for employment checks. Your data stays in the EU on secure infrastructure and is handled in line with GDPR.

Meet the team